Life's adventures: discussing experiences with the present perfect

A2
90 min
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1

Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.

  1. What is an interesting place you have been to?
  2. What is a new skill you have learned? For example, cooking, a sport, or a language.
  3. What is one country you want to visit in the future? Why?
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Trying Something New

Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.

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Listen to or read the dialogue again and answer the questions.

01Where has Marco just come back from?
Sample answerHe has just come back from a trip to the mountains.
02What new thing did Marco do on his trip?
Sample answerHe climbed a small mountain for the first time.
03Has Emma ever climbed a mountain?
Sample answerNo, she says she has never tried that.
04What is Emma's dream trip?
Sample answerShe wants to go on a trip to see the Northern Lights.
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Key vocabulary for life experiences

Vocabulary
These expressions will help you talk about your experiences, travel, and achievements more naturally.
Examples
Try something new — to do an activity you have never done before.
Use this to talk about hobbies, food, or travel. For example: 'I have tried something new every year.'
Go on a trip — to travel to a place, usually for a short time for a holiday.
This is a very common phrase. We often say where we went: 'I have gone on a trip to the mountains.'
Reach a goal — to successfully do something important that you wanted to do.
This is great for talking about achievements. You can also say 'achieve a goal'. For example: 'He has reached his goal of running a marathon.'
Face a challenge — to deal with a difficult situation.
Use this to talk about overcoming problems. For example: 'In my life, I have faced many challenges.'
Once in a lifetime — describes a very special experience that you will probably only have one time.
We use this for amazing opportunities or trips. For example: 'Seeing the northern lights was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.'
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Life Experiences Vocabulary

Improve your vocabulary about life experiences and achievements.

Match each word on the left with its correct definition on the right.

A
B
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Grammar: Present perfect for life experiences

Grammar
We use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) to talk about experiences in our lives. The exact time of the action is not important. We are talking about if the experience happened or not.
Examples
I have visited Paris.
This means that sometime in my life, I went to Paris. We don't say when.
Have you ever climbed a mountain?
We often use 'ever' in questions to ask about any time in a person's life.
She has never tried Japanese food.
We use 'never' to say someone has not had an experience at any time in their life.
Key points
  • The structure is: have/has + past participle (e.g., seen, eaten, been).
  • Use 'has' for he, she, and it.
  • Don't use a specific time like 'last year' or 'yesterday'. Say 'I have seen that movie', not 'I have seen that movie yesterday'.
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Find the mistake

Read the sentences below. Each one has a mistake.

Find the one error in each sentence and write the correct version.

01He have climbed a very high mountain.
Corrected version
He have has climbed a very high mountain.
02I have been to Italy in 2019.
Corrected version
I have been went to Italy in 2019.
03My sister has wrote a book about her travels.
Corrected version
My sister has wrote written a book about her travels.
04You have ever tried spicy food?
Corrected version
You Have you ever tried spicy food?
05We went in a trip to the countryside last year.
Corrected version
We went in on a trip to the countryside last year.
06It was a big achieve for me to learn to swim.
Corrected version
It was a big achieve achievement for me to learn to swim.
07Learning a new language is a big challange.
Corrected version
Learning a new language is a big challange. challenge.
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Useful phrases: catching up with a friend

Vocabulary
When you talk to a friend, you often ask about their life experiences. Use these phrases to start a conversation, share your news, and react to what they say.
Examples
'Have you done anything interesting lately?' — a friendly way to ask about someone's recent experiences.
Register: informal. Use this to start a conversation with a friend you haven't seen for a little while.
'Actually, I've just...' — a way to introduce your own recent news.
Register: informal. Use this after a friend asks about you. For example: 'Actually, I've just started a new photography class.'
'Wow, that sounds amazing!' — shows you are very interested and happy about your friend's experience.
Register: informal. Use this to react positively to good news, like a great trip or a fun activity.
'What was that like?' — asks for more details about an experience.
Register: informal. Use this follow-up question when you want your friend to tell you more about something they did.
'I've never tried that.' — says you have no experience with something.
Register: informal. You can use this to show interest and maybe ask a question after. For example: 'I've never tried skiing. Is it difficult?'
'I've always wanted to...' — talks about a dream or a goal you have had for a long time.
Register: informal. Use this to share your future plans or dreams. For example: 'You went to Japan? Wow! I've always wanted to go there.'
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Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.

Word bank
01I have finally reached my of learning to play the guitar.
02She has never been on a to another country, but she wants to go to Spain.
03Climbing that mountain was a big , but I have done it!
04I want to try something this weekend, like cooking food from Japan.
05Visiting the Amazon rainforest was a once-in-a- experience for me.
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Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.

  1. What is a 'once in a lifetime' experience that many people in your country want to have?
  2. Is it more important to 'go on a trip' to a new country or to 'reach a goal' like learning a new skill? Why?
  3. Think about a time you had to 'face a challenge'. Was it a good experience in the end? Why or why not?